Can I interest you today in some shares of Hope? You’ve probably noticed the market is at a low point. Futures are slumping, and an awful lot of people are selling off even their reserves. It’s all understandable. Should I list the reasons? Haiti, Afghanistan, the Delta variant, wildfires, climate change. The word “apocalyptic” comes to mind.
So, why buy into hope?
Because we are a people of faith? Does that work for you? Seems a little flimsy right now, I know, but it’s the best I can offer. It might even be enough.
We Christians are a realistically hopeful people.
The cross is the reality at the center of our faith. Suffering. Abandonment. Lies hurled to destroy. Torture. Murder sanctioned by worldly powers. Christ experienced the reality of human cruelty and human death. He died for and with us.
And the Resurrection is the reality at the center of our faith. Death doesn’t get the last word. God says so.
And the Holy Spirit is the reality at the center of our faith—binding us to Christ and making his ministry the church’s ministry.
God has promised, and Christ has shown, that empowered compassion can transform lives in the midst of suffering. Indeed, we’re told this is the hope of the world. That’s what we’re told. Having the nerve to invest in that hope is another matter. Clicking the “sell” button is still tempting.
Walter Brueggemann has written that the faith of Abraham and Sarah was to trust (or invest) fully in the promises of God despite all evidence to the contrary. Well, ours are contrary days. Can we dare invest in grace, mercy, welcome, love? In hope?
The Delta variant has us reeling again. Have faith. Invest in truth when others choose lies. Invest in others when some choose only themselves. Wear a mask. Get vaccinated. Invest your prayers and signs of support in the sick and those who care for them.
Already, some folks are demonizing Afghan refugees and saying there’s no place for them in our country. Listen to the words of the Torah: “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 19:34). Or, if you prefer some words from Jesus, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). Invest accordingly. Dare to be hope.
As you read heartbreaking news from Haiti, invest in the work of the United Methodist Committee on Relief through our church. One hundred percent of your investment becomes real help in the midst of real suffering.
You get the point. Dare to invest in hope.
Jeremiah 32 tells of another great moment in investment history. The Babylonians have invaded Judah; defeat, destruction and panic are everywhere; the nation is doomed; exile awaits. So, Jeremiah—who for so long prophesied this very moment—goes out and buys a field. He invests in God’s promise that God would someday bring God’s people home.
The rubble and death around us are real. But even through the smoke and tears, mercy sees a way. When all the world seems to be selling, invest in the ones who are hurting. We have a promise, after all. Love is greater than every foe. Call it insider trading, if you wish, or call it hope.
Yours in Christ,
Mark Westmoreland,
Senior Pastor